New Jersey-to-California transplant Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is incessantly bullied by Johnny and the Cobra Kai dojo gang. But his luck changes when he meets his sensei, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role), who trains Daniel in the ways of karate, while simultaneously using him as free labor to wax his cars and paint his house.